Container for heavy bulk materials



April; 7, 1936. E. WATSON 2,036,987

CONTAINER FOR HEAVY BULK MATERIALS Filed'Fb. 27, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 1IIIIIIIIIIIJ Invert/fin:

April 7, 1936. i v E. WATSON 2,036,987 '7 I CONTAINER FOR HEAVY BULKMATERIALS 'Fild Feb. 27, 1934 3 Shets-Sheet 2 jzfa,

o Invent'or:

Am 7, 1936 v w E W ON 2,036,987

CONTAINER FOR HEAVY BULK MATERIALS Filed Feb. 27, 1954 5 Sheets-Sfieet 3mu mmnum/ I rwentbr: wafirow,

Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT ,oFFi'cE con'mmna FOR HEAVYBULK MATERIALS Edgar Watson, Towson, Md., assignor, by mesneassignments, to The Nelson Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corporation ofMaryland Application February 27, 1934, Serial No. 713,163 In theNetherlands August 24, 1933 17 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in containers for heavybulk materials and is parfor a container capable of handling heavy bulkticularly adapted for use with containers made of fiber board. v

The growing employment offiber board for shipping containers, by reasonof the uniformity of its structure, and the lightness of the packagesprepared therewith, has resulted in demand to capacity. The superimposedpackages cause crushing of the lower packages and owing to the gopeculiarity of the fiber board material, this crushing permanentlyweakens the structure.

By fiber board is meant the material of paper pulp nature which isemployed for forming shipping containers, and is inclusive both ofthesolid board and the corrugated board. The characteristics of fiberboard of great strength in tension, the resilient yielding to bendingloads short of the elastic limit, and its weakness to shearing and incompression parallel to wall surfaces when formed as a container, haveheretofore led me to propose the employment of stay means as describedin my copendlng United States patent application Serial No. 631,077,filed August 30, 1932, It has now been found that the container may alsobe improved by providing reinforcing means to enable the container toresist superimposed loads, and in some instances by providing externalbinding means operative in conjunction with the stay means forsupporting the internal loads during shifting and during settling ofsuch loads,

One of the particular features of the present invention is the provisionin a fiber board container of reinforcing means having vertical portionsfor supporting vertical loads, andhorie zontal portionsfor receiving.and transmitting such loads to and from horizontal walls of thecontainer.

Another feature of the invention is the con- 5o struction of a containerwith such reinforcing members 01' angle metal which may be cheaply andeasily manufactured and assembled in the container.

' A further feature of the invention is the provision of a containerhaving such reinforcing means in which the horizontal portions areemployed as ledges or rests for receiving cover and bottom'fiaps of thecontainer, and preventing the inward movement of these flaps both duringthe initial assembly and closure of the container, and during theemployment of the container in the storage and/or shipment of thelading.

Still another feature of the present invention is the provision of ashipping container having internal stay means to prevent bulging ofvertical walls of the container, reinforcing means for receiving andtransmitting vertical loads, and external binding means associated withthe stay means and passing around the container to assist instrengthening the, container against deformation in horizontal planes,and for sealing the top and bottom closure portions of the container,and cooperative with the reinforcing means. 1f Q With these and otherlobjects in view as will appear in the course of the followingspecification and claims, illustrative forms of practicing the inventionare shown on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container having stay means andreinforcing means therein, with parts broken away to show therelationship of the several elements.

' ting the same prior to bending to. shape.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a closed and sealed container ofmodified form, in which external binding means are provided. 7

Figure 6 is a perspective view of 'the'container of Figure 5, with thecover or top flaps open for filling.

Figure 7 is a perspective view similar to that of Figure 3, showinganother type of reinforcing element. v

Figure 8 is a detail view, on a larger scale than that of Figures 3, 4and v'I,-showing the preferred manner of clipping the reinforcingblanks.

.The' container shown in Figures 1 and 2 has the-four side walls SI, S2,S3 and S4, to each ing bottom and cover flaps BI, B2, B3, B4 and TI, T2,T3, T4. The blank for such a container may be made in the usual manner,and then folded as usual into tubular shape and joined in the usualmanner, as by the external tape II, to provide the joined vertical wallsof the container. It is preferred to incorporate the stay means whilethe joined walls are held in definite position upon the form. Such aform preferably corresponds in external dimensions to the internal spaceof the completed container, and has cross notches extending from itsfree end to receive the stay means and permit their ready withdrawalwhen the semi-assembled blank is removed from the form. For thispurpose, the stay wires I2, being connected each to a stay plate I3, arepassed through one wall of each pair in the container, a notched portionof the form, and the other wall of such pair, and then are connectedwith another stay plate I3 as by passing through the same and being bentaround a lug thereof, as shown for the wall S3 in Figure 1. The spurs ofthe stay plates I3 are firmly engaged in the container walls incidentalto this insertion and connection of the stay wires, the walls of theform providing an anvil and guide to assure parallelism of the pairs ofopposite walls in the container. stay means I2 are thus connected withthe corresponding pair of vertical walls at points remote from the edgesof such walls, and serve to transmit bulging strains from one of thesewalls to the other. Preferably, also, the stay means l2 for the wallsSI, S3 is passed across the internal space of the container parallel tothe walls S2 and S4; and correspondingly, the stay means I2 for thewalls S2 and S4 is parallel to the walls SI and S3. Under suchconditions and in the absence of the reinforcing members, it is possibleto assemble the vertical walls together and to incorporate the staymeans at a container factory, and then to fold the semi-assembled blanksto fiat condition and ship them to a loading point, such as a nailfactory, where the bottoms are closed and sealed, and the containersfinally filled and closed. If the container blank has beensemi-assembled and shipped in fiat condition, as aforesaid, for use inpackaging nails, for example, it is opened out at the nail factory untilthe vertical walls again form a rectangle in horizontal section, and isplaced bottom upward upon a similar form, with the incorporation ofreinforcing means RI and R3 as will be described in detail later, andthen the.

pairs of bottom flaps are turned down and sealed. It will be noted inFigures 1 and 2 that the reinforcing means RI and R3 include horizontalportions which receive the first pair of bottom flaps B2 and B4, asthese are turned inwardly and thus prevent these flaps from being forcedout of position. Cement may now be applied to this pair of flaps B2 andB4 in the usual way, and the other pair of flaps BI and B3 turned down.upon and secured to them by the cement. Finally, a sealing strip 3| maybe employed to close the final external seam and the container.

The formed container is now loaded with passed through a standard clos-The cover flaps T2 and T4 are urn'ed' down by the machine and aresupported against excessive inward movement by the horizontal portionsof the reinforcing means RI and R3, so that they may be cemented, andthe pair.

articles and is The' of cover flaps TI and T3 turned down and secured tothem in the usual way. Finally, the closed container may be sealed by afurther strip 30, as indicated for Figure 5.

This loaded container is thus provided in this illustrative form withvertical reinforcing portions at the four. corners, being comprised inthe illustrative case of metal angle pieces having their legs eachresting against two adjacent vertical walls of the container. Further,the reinforcing means includes horizontal portions likewiseillustratively of angle metal with vertical and horizontal-legs. Thelegs located in vertical planes rest against vertical walls of thecontainer, while the legs located in horizontal planes rest againsthorizontal walls of the container. The reinforcements thereforestrengthen all four vertical edges of the container and at least thehorizontal edges of two of the side walls, and serve for supporting,receiving and transmitting the vertical loads, without the verticalwalls of the container itself being required to support such loads.These reinforcing members, therefore, assist the stay means in theirmutual action. The stay means tends to hold the vertical walls againstbulging at their centers, while the reinforcing means supports the loadsto relieve tendencies of the walls toward buckling or bulging. Inparticular, it will be noted that the manner of forming the reinforcingmembers, as illustrated, produces a definite closure of the container atthe eight corners existing at the top and bottom ends of the verticaledges of the container, so that nails or like articles cannot projectout of holes and possibly cause damage to adjacent containers.

In the forms illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the reinforcing means isillustrated as comprised of a pair of the reinforcing members shown inFigures 3 and 4. In Figure 4, the blank is made of angle metal, eitherby clipping and forming the black sheet, or by folding a skelp parallelto its length to provide the legs of the angle form. Such members may becut to the desired length and then passed through a black sheet multiplerotary clipper having its dies or blades arranged for alternatelyclipping to the right and left, as indicated in Figure 8, where thearrows a. and b indicate the upper and lower blades of a clippingmachine. The clipping operation is accompanied by a distortion of thesheet at the clipping point, so that the edges are left in position forguiding themselves during the later folding. Thus, the edges tend toslide past one another in the direction shown by the arrows c. Thisalternate clipping to the 'right and left is utilized so that thevertical horizontal and vertical portions, and so that no raw edge ofany reinforcing member under normal load in the structure is exposed tothe fiber board. It will be understood that the horizontal members RbRbIand RdR.dI constitute beams for transmitting loads to and from thehorizontal walls of the container; whereas the vertical members Ra-RaIand Rc--Rcl constitute posts for supporting these beams.

In the illustrative form of Figures 3 and 4, the reinforcing member isassumed to be finally bent to rectangular form as shown in Figure 1, andfor the purpose of maintaining this form, a short further section Re isutilized which is interlocked with the other free end of the blank toprevent relative movements of the horizontal and vertical portions atthe joint (see Figure 1).

In the form of construction shown in Figures and 6, the container blankmay be identical with that of Figures 1 and 2, and the reinforcing meansRI and R3 may be identical with that shownin Figures 1 to 4. The staymeans, however, is here provided by stay plates 13a located remote fromthe edges of the corresponding side walls, and the pairs of internalstay portions lZa, 12b which are illustrated as wires passing throughapertures in the stay plates l3a. Each wire is bent at a sharp anglejust outside of the stay plate and then is carried around the containerexternally thereof. In

the particular illustrated form of Figures 5 and 6, one of the wiresconstituting a stay portion IZa is passed horizontally around thecontainer and then its ends are connected by twisting at I20. The otherstay portion I2ais similarly carried in the opposite direction aroundthe container horizontally and is connected by a similar twist 120. Oneof the stay portions lZb is bent at its ends around the bottom of thecontainer and joined by a twist I20. This joining of the stay portionsexternally completes the preliminary assembly of the container ready forfilling, and leaves it in the condition shown in Figure 6. It may now befilled with the articles, the cover flaps T2, T4 turned down as before,and then the flaps Tl, T3 brought down and sealed upon the first pair ofcover flaps. The closing 'strip 3| may then be applied and finally thefinal stay portion l2b has its externally projecting ends brought overthe top flaps of the gontainer and twisted together at l2c (Figureportions [2a which constitute binding means pass around the containersubstantially in a hori zontal plane and are supported by thereinforcing means RI and R3 at the corners, so that closed condition,and likewise pass transversely to horizontal portions of the reinforcingmeans.

It will be understood that the twists I20 have been illustrated in theform in which made and that it is customary to turn them parallel toadjacent runs of the external binding means IZa, 12b and to press theminward so that they do not interfere with the free sliding. movement ofthe containers relative to one another.

Another form of constructing a reinforcing member is shown in Figure 7,where it is made, of a U-shaped piece of angle material and having beamportions R122 preferably to be located at the top of the filledcontainer, and the two reinforcing members such as those shown inFigures 1 and 3 gives a structure in a. container measuring eleveninches square horizontally, arid It will thus be-noted that the externaleleven and a half inches deep, internally, which will hold one hundredpounds of nails for storage and shipment under the usual conditions,each such' container being capable of supporting the superimposed weightof six or seven other containers for long periods of time under evendisadvantageous atmospheric conditions, without collapsing or such lossof strength as to cause the breaking of the package.

When the reinforcing members are located inside the container asillustrated, the lading of the container serves to maintain themdefinitely in position. Thus, in the illustrated form, the posts formedby the angle members are pressed tightly'against'the vertical walls.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the particular formsof construction shown, but, that it may be modified in many ways withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A container of fiber board having joined vertical walls and bottomand cover flaps providing horizontal walls forming the bottom and top of'the container, reinforcingmeans providing rigid vertical posts atvertical walls of the container and rigid horizontal beams located atopposite horizontal edges, said posts and said beams respectively beingspaced from. one another to expose the major portion of each wall togive a maximum capacity to the container, said horizontal beamsreceiving and transmitting vel'tical loads between said vertical postsand said horizontal walls.

2. A container of fiber board having joined vertical walls and bottomand cover fiaps providing horizontal walls forming the bottom and top ofthe container, metal. reinforcing members having vertical portionslocated at the vertical edges of the container and horizontal portionslocated at opposite horizontal edges, said posts and said beamsrespectively being spaced from one another to expose the major portionof each wall to give a maximum capacity to the container, saidhorizontal portions extending along a vertical wall of the container andfrom one vertical .portion to the other for receiving and transmittingvertical loads withrespect to said vertical portions and operating tohold the same in spaced relation and in position at the vertical cornersof the container.

3. A container of fiber board having joined vertical walls and bottomand cover flaps providing horizontal walls forming the bottom and top ofthe container, metal reinforcing members having vertical portionslocated at the vertical edges of the container and rigid horizontalportions located at opposite horizontal edges and connected to thevertical portions, said posts and said beams respectively being spacedfrom one another to expose the major portion of each wall to give amaximum capacity to the container, said horizontal portions receivingand transmitting vertical loads with respect to said vertical portions,said "members being constructed and arranged to be held frictionally bysaid walls when the container is empty and with the vertical portionslocated in the vertical corners and the horizontal portions located inhorizontal. corners of the container.

4. A container of fiber board having joined vertical walls and bottomand cover flaps providing horizontal walls forming the bottom and top ofthe container, metal reinforcing angle members, each having vertical andhorizontal portions connected to each other, the legs of the verticalportions being disposed at the corners of the container and each havingsurfaces individually bearing against two adjacent vertical walls andthe legs of each horizontal portion having surfaces individually bearingagainst a vertical wall and a horizontal wall.

5. A container as in claim 4, in which the metal members are a pair ofintegral units each formed from a piece of angle, metal and having oneleg thereof bent to provide vertical and horizontal portions, and theother leg thereof gashed to provide portions in vertical planes, thevertically extending portions of the other leg being located inside thehorizontally extending portion thereof so that the loads on saidvertically extending portions may be transmitted to the horizontalportions of said one leg.

6. A container of fiber board having two joined pairs of vertical wallsand bottom and top cover flaps providing horizontal walls forming thebottom and top of the container, each vertical wall I having fiaps atits top and bottom, the bottom and top flaps of each pair of walls beingsub stantially in common planes at bottom and top, the flaps overlappingin pairs with one pair inside the other, and metal angle members 10-catcd inside-the container and providing ve'tical posts and rigidhorizontal beams connected to said vertical posts, said vertical postsand horizontal beams being disposed at the corners of the container, theinner pairs of flaps bearing against and being supported against inwardmovement by said horizontal beams, said horizontal beams also restingagainst vertical walls of said container.

'7. A container of fiber board having pairs of walls joined to form thevertical walls of the container, and bottom and top flaps providinghorizontal walls forming the bottom and top of the container, stay meansextending between opposite pairs of said vertical walls to support thesame against bulging at points remote from the edges thereof, andreinforcing means inside the container and including vertical postsbearing against adjacent vertical walls and horizontal beams, saidvertical posts and horizontal beams being rigidly connected fortransferring vertical loads to and from said vertical posts and bearingagainst the top and bottom walls.

8. A container as in claim 7, in which the reinforcing means are metalangle members each folded to rectangular form and of which at least onehas the legs of its horizontal and vertical portions bearing against asingle vertical wall.

9. A container of fiber board having pairs of walls joined to form thevertical walls of the container, and bottom and top flaps providinghorizontal walls forming the bottom and top of the container, stay meansextending between opposite pairs of said vertical walls to support thesame against bulging at points remote from the edges thereof, and a pairof reinforcing means of rectangular form bearing against a pair ofopposite vertical walls and including vertical portions also bearingagainst adjacent against adjacent horizontal walls.

A container of fiber board having pairs of walls joined to form thevertical walls of the container,..and bottom and top flaps providinghorizontal walls to form the bottom and top vertical walls andhorizontal portions bearing of the container, reinforcing metal ofrectangular shape closely fitting the container and located at oppositewalls of one pair and having vertical portions for supporting verticalloads and horizontal portions for transferring such loads from and tothe horizontal walls, and stay means including stay plates located atpoints of the vertical walls remote from the edges thereof and stayconnections extending across the container space between the stay platesof pairs of said vertical walls, said stay means being operative toprevent relative separating movements of the stay plates.

11. A container of fiber board having pairs of walls joined to form thevertical walls of the container, and top and bottom flaps providinghorizontal walls to form the bottom and top of the container, and staymeans including stay plates located at points of the vertical wallsremote from the edges thereof and stay connections,extending across thecontainer space between the stay plates of pairs of said vertical wallsand external binding connections including first connected portionsextending horizontally from stay plate to stay plate and second.connected portions extending from stay plate to stay plate across thebottom and top horizontal walls.

12. A container as in claim 11, in which said flaps are in pairs withone pairat bottom and top overlapping and. outside of t. .e other pair,and in which said second CORT set-ed portions extend at right angles tothe free edges of said overlapping pair.

13. A container of fiber board having pairs of walls joined to form thevertical walls of the container, and bottom and top flaps providinghorizontal walls to form the bottom and top of the container,reinforcing means including vertical portions located at the junction ofvertical walls for supporting vertical loads, and horizontal portionslocated at junctions of vertical and horizontal walls for transferringsuch loads from and to the horizontal walls, and stay means irrcludingstay plates located at points of the vertical walls remote from theedges thereof and stay connections extending across the container spacebetween stay plates and external binding connections including connectedportions extending from stay plate to stay plate across the bottom andtop horizontal walls and passing around said horizontal portions.

14. A container as in claim 13, in which each stay means comprises apair of flexible members passing through apertures of the correspondingstay plate and passing in different directions away from' said platesexternally, of the container.

15. A container of fiber board having joined vertical walls and bottomand cover flaps providing horizontal walls forming the bottom and top ofthe container, reinforcing means providing rigid vertical posts locatedat the vertical edges of the container and rigid horizontal beamslocated at opposite horizontal edges, said horizontal beams receivingand transmitting vertical loads between said vertical posts horizontalwalls, said posts and beams being located in thecorners of the containerwalls to close the container at its corners and having integrally joinedsurfaces engaging directly the container walls adjacent each saidcorner.

16. A container of fiber beardhaving pairs of joined vertical walls andbottom and cover'fiaps providing horizontal wallstorming the bottom andtop of the container, and stay and binding means including stay plateslocated on each of vthe'vertical-walla; remote from the edges thereof, 7

and external binding connections extending externally of the container,one pair of opposite stay plates being joined by binding connectionsextending horizontally around the container, and another pair'ofopposite stay plates being joined by binding connections extending in anupright plane around the top and bottom walls.-

17. A reinforcing member for fiber containers v comprising an integralpiece of angle metal having one leg folded to form a closed rectangleandthe other leg cut at the corners of the rectangular form'andproviding vertical and horizontal portions, of which the verticalportion is located inside the horizontal portion to transfer verticalloads from and to .the same; said angle metal being folded to providefive sections, of

.which the end sections overlap in forming the rectangular reinforcingmember and are interfitted with, one another so that the vertical portion of the rectangular reinforcing member transfers vertical loads fromand to the horizontal portions thereof.

EDGAR WATSON.

